Obligatory Responsibilities

"Clients must take responsibility for any costs to replace lost, stolen or damaged devices and supplies, and to repair any devices or supplies damaged due to the neglect or wilful misconduct of the client, family or friends.
"Clients are encouraged to purchase private insurance to protect their assistive devices in the event of loss, theft or damage."
David Jenson, spokesman, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario

Clearly enough 58-year-old Terri Holloway did not read the fine print. That the woman is physically impaired and requires assistance to enable her to lead a quality lifestyle as much as is possible for someone suffering from fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic fatigue and severe back problems requiring surgeries which made walking difficulty. Falling under the malign physical health effects from bronchitis and asthma, and now anticipating additional tests to confirm she may have lung cancer, is beyond dispute.

For that reason alone, Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care represents one of the major public health welfare services that has been involved in looking to the woman's needs. They have become more wary of late in generously providing wheelchairs that suddenly disappear. Having discovered that some clients use them as they would cars, running the machines into the ground prematurely. Just an example of misuse, the kind of easy disposability attitude of those who haven't paid out of their own pockets for what they need.

Evidently a year earlier Ms. Holloway's husband died of a heart attack at age 54. He had his own acute health problems, HIV one of them. Back in 2010 they were hoping to be assigned a wheelchair-accessible apartment through social housing. "All I want is a place with an elevator, a balcony and a laundry room", her husband was quoted as saying at the time for a newspaper interview. Her husband had experienced three heart attacks, and avoided climbing stairs. For fear of precipitating an angina attack.

They were both long-term clients of the social welfare units set up by the Government of Ontario funded by taxpayers. Canadians have never objected to the need to support those in distress and in need of welfare assistance. Ms. Holloway's complaint is that her two-week-old tax-paid $10,000 wheelchair was stolen on August 9. Thus hugely compromising her mobility and by extension her obvious quality of life.

She had left the new wheelchair on the sidewalk outside a shop she had entered close to the LCBO outlet on Montreal Road in east-end Vanier. No more, she claims, than ten minutes after she had entered DTM Electronics she exited to discover her new wheelchair was nowhere to be seen. She would know it of a certainty by the legend she placed on back of the chair: "Witch Crossing. Trespassers will be Toad."

Her sense of humour, however, has been deleteriously impacted by her loss. "(But) it's not my fault. I didn't park it outside, put a sign on it that said Take Me", she said defensively when informed that there was no intention on the part of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to leap to the rescue by replacing her spanking-brand-new-but-abducted, expensive wheelchair any time soon. Such expensive aids are not a revolving door of ongoing entitlements.

It is standard procedure to ensure that such expensive items be insured. Quite apart from the fact that owners of such expensive, durable, functional and readily-resold items should be expected to take exquisite care of their treasured assists. One occupational health therapist skilled in assisting the disabled in procuring such devices informs that leaving wheelchairs unattended presents thieves with an irresistible invitation.

All clients are therefore encouraged to take out insurance. If the cost is unaffordable, the Ontario Disability Support Program, the very program from which Ms. Holloway draws benefits, will assist in paying the insurance toll. Nope, says Terri Holloway, no one ever suggested she take out insurance. And no one ever informed her, she claims as well, about a control switch on the machine which, once engaged, would defy attempts at theft.

Ms. Holloway has not been left completely in the lurch. She will not be forced to remain a hermit: "Sitting at home 24/7 isn't what it's cracked up to be", she observed wryly, proving her sense of ironic humour remains tardily intact. Some good soul purchasing a new wheelchair for themselves at Canada Care Medical heard of her plight, and asked that her old wheelchair be offered to Ms. Holloway.

The hope being that she will appreciate this second-time-around opportunity fully benefiting her, and feel some sense of personal responsibility in ensuring its safe-keeping. No one is entitled to boundless reams of generous provisions without making an effort to themselves be responsible against theft.

Witch now represents a reality she had been fully toad about.